Tag: Film

By Peter Hemminger

A disclaimer: the print of Mango Yellow actually melted midway through the screening, hurting the Brazilian drama’s momentum. Still, it’s easy to see director Claudio Assis has a natural ability for pacing, as he effortlessly weaves together the lives of a group of Sau Paulo outcasts. Sex, death, jealousy, infidelity and a generally pessimistic outlook… Continue reading Film Fest: Mango Yellow

By Garth Paulson

If Paul Reiser isn’t enough to scare you away from this father-son reconciliation story everything else about it should do the trick. The story is predictable, the acting is grating and the humour consists of generational misunderstandings and farts. Despite all this, The Thing About my Folks delighted its target audience–middle-aged couples–which should tell you… Continue reading Film Fest: The Thing About my Folks

By Garth Paulson

In Grizzly Man director Werner Herzog documents the tragic attempt of filmmaker and cult-celebrity Timothy Treadwell to live with and protect a group of Alaskan Grizzly bears. Largely relying on Treadwell’s own footage the film paints a portrait of a man with an unbreakable conviction and love for animals but also crippling mental problems. The… Continue reading Film Fest: Grizzly Man

By Peter Hemminger

Your Jetta glides gracefully into the vacant parking stall. Your friends spill out of the car and make their way towards the mall. Pulling open the doors, you step into a world of gaudiness. Neon lights flash from every direction, posters battle one another for your attention, and above you an animatronic dragon spews billows… Continue reading Film Scoop: Film Fest magic

By Katherine Fletcher

Picture a war. Helicopters drone, bombs fall and napalm sears. Gunfire permanently penetrates the air. Fires rage. Smoke suffocates. Corpses litter the ground, and blood pours from bodies riddled with bullets.What you’re probably not picturing is a hospital. Most of the images of war we see exclude those of treatment and recovery. Filmmakers David Christensen… Continue reading Festival Review: War Hospital

By Kate Foote

Pierre Tetrault paints an intimate portrait of schizophrenia in This Beggar’s Description, following the life of his own brother, Phil Tetrault. The film retraces Phil’s bouts with insanity as well as his poignant stints of clarity. Throughout the film, Tetrault avoids thoroughly exploring his own relationship with his brother, opting instead to play the role… Continue reading Festival Review: This Beggar’s Portrait

By Sherri Shergill

Jodie Foster’s latest film, Flightplan, has a merciless crash-and-burn theme surrounding it. The take-off is smooth and relaxing until the plane ends up combusting mid-air. The film starts out full of promise, gets lost in its own storyline and in the midst of confusion tries to land well before the tarmac was prepared for its… Continue reading Film Review: Flightplan off course

By Kyle Francis

People expect trailers to be misleading – after all, they’re designed to get you into the theatre. This is probably why the preview for David Cronenberg’s A History of Violence was made to look like an intelligent thriller about a small town man with a dark past and a knack for murder. What it wasn’t… Continue reading Film Review: Stupid Violence

By Rob Scherf

“A film is, or should be, more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what’s behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later.” -Stanley KubrickAutumn is a time of rejuvenation and preparation for a new year of work. From the festive tradition of the harvest… Continue reading Film Scoop: Finding culture through film

By Chris McGeachy

Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride offers little surprise throughout the story of Victor van Dort and his socially-taboo marriage to the titular Corpse Bride, but manages to be entertaining anyway. The story is simple: Victor, voiced by Johnny Depp, finds himself staring death in the face when he accidentally betroths a corpse who subsequently comes to… Continue reading Film Review: Corpse Bride not quite dead on